Egypt presidential election: Tentative results show likely run-off
An Egyptian woman shows off her finger stained with indelible ink after voting at a polling station in Cairo on May 23, 2012, in the country’s first presidential election since a popular uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak.
CAIRO, Egypt — Tentative results from Egypt's election commission show that the historic presidential election is likely to go to a June run-off, reported the Associated Press.
Votes are still being counted from the election's first round, held Wednesday and Thursday. The commission said results had been received from about 20 of the country's 27 provinces, said AP, but The New York Times said only a small number still needed to be tallied.
The run-off between the two leading candidates would be held on June 16-17 and with a new president would be announced June 21, said Reuters.
More from GlobalPost: Special Report: Egypt Votes
As tentative election results trickle out various parties and candidates have been quick to claim ascendance, with the Muslim Brotherhood late Thursday issuing a statement saying their candidate, Mohammed Morsi, had won a quarter of the votes. The group also claimed 90 percent of the votes had been counted, however, according to Agence-France Press.
Ahram Online's independent count — still provisional — has Morsi leading, followed by Mubarak-era former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.
Shafiq's legacy has proven controversial among Egyptian voters. Supporters see the political veteran as best prepared to lead the nation after a year of upheaval that saw former leader Hosni Mubarak ousted from office. Critics say Shafiq represents a continuation of the old regime, particularly during his controversial leadership as prime minister after Mubarak fell — a position he soon lost due to mass protests.
Leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahy has made a surprising showing, coming in tight behind Shafiq and slightly ahead of moderate Islamist candidate Abouel Fotouh, according to independent counting by Al-Masry Al-Youm.
But election workers are still sorting through mountains of paper ballots submitted in the country's densely-populated capital Cairo and nearby Giza, said AP.
It was Egypt's first such election in half a millennia. Roughly half of the nation's 50 million-odd eligible voters participated, AP cited the election commission as saying.